Elk Herd at Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is the destination for up to 15,000 migrating elk every winter.  The huge herd is spread out in the mountains during the summer, but descends to the sheltered valley in the winter.

Civilization has taken over much of the historic elk feeding grounds, so people help feed these animals during the winter, until they can return to the mountains in summer.  The biggest herds are nearly all cow elk and immature bulls.  The mature bulls tend to stay in separate smaller herds.

The scenery is wonderful here at the National Elk Refuge near Grand Teton National Park.  These photos were taken on a day of off-and-on snow storms.  Brief streaks of light changed to snow squalls in a matter of seconds.

These young bulls practiced sparring with their spike antlers.  This playing will be much more serious in a year or two when the mature bulls battle for females.  Horse-drawn wagon rides are available to take you out to see the elk, but we were lucky to be able to watch this herd from a road through the refuge.

Snowmobile Hill Climb

I am a month late posting this but would like to share photos of the event.  On February 8 and 9, 2013 this snowmobile hill climb took place on a huge hill on the Price ranch in Geneva, Idaho.  The event was sponsored by RMSHA (Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Hillclimb Association) and was promoted by the Bear Lake County Rim Riders.

There were about 500 rides on the hill the day I was there.  The weather was light snow, so the skies were overcast and the light less than ideal.

The riders would get up as much speed as possible at the foot of the hill where they had a sharp turn to begin the climb.

These two photos were hand held pans.  The deep soft snow was difficult to move in so I stayed at the foot of the hill and decided not to use a tripod.

The fastest climb that I saw finished the course in 54 seconds.  That is remarkable on this very steep hill with several turns and jumps.  I purposely chose a slow shutter speed to blur the rider and give a feeling of speed.

Trumpeter Swans

I discovered eight trumpeter swans swimming in the Bear River near Georgetown, Idaho.

These magnificent birds are, on average, the largest waterfowl species on earth, and the heaviest bird in North America. The largest known male weighed 38 pounds (17.2 kilograms) and had a wingspan of 10 feet (3.1 meters).

They drifted downstream to get further away from me, but after I moved my truck closer a couple of times they finally settled down and ignored me. They kept ducking their heads under water and splashing a lot of water around, either bathing or seeking vegetation for food.  Occasionally, one would stand up, stretch its wings forward, then back, to fold them.

One by one they climbed out of the water, spreading their wings for balance like this juvenile.  The younger swans still had some grayish plumage but were showing a lot of the white feathers they would have as adults.

Once they were ashore, they sometimes enjoyed a leisurely stretch.

These swans were rare here until recently, but have made a good comeback thanks to nesting at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Rocky Mountain Elk

Nearly every winter Linda and I drive to the Elk feeding grounds in Alpine, Star Valley, Wyoming.  Rocky Mountain elk live in the high country during the summer and descend to lower valleys every winter.  People have taken over most of the elk wintering areas there, so if they are to survive, they need supplemental feeding.  However, there are still areas near our home in the Bear Lake Valley where elk survive on their own.

A big bull and a few cows were part of a big herd waiting to be fed in Alpine, Wyoming.

The elk were fed hay from a horse-drawn sleigh.

After the sleigh left, the elk herd was on the move.  This was probably about 1/3 of the herd which stretched off to the left.  When spring arrives, the herd will scatter throughout the mountains again.

Bear Lake Polar Plunge

The Bear Lake Polar Plunge has grown to a big event since my first post about it January 2011.  This year, for the first time since I have seen it, the lake is frozen, and a big hole had to be cut in the ice.  The air temperature was about freezing.  Participants paid $25 each for the chance to jump into the frigid lake.  For this they received a t-shirt and the proceeds were donated to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

The Plunge takes place at Garden City Marina on the Utah end of Bear Lake.  Many of the jumpers were in costume.

There were so many spectators that the ice started to sag and water flowed out of the hole.  People moved away from the edge because they thought the ice might break, and the water flowed back into the hole again.

A viking family went in together.  This little boy didn't seem to be having a very good time.

After the Plunge ended, we went out for pizza with two other couples from our Sharp Shooters Camera Club.

I have heard people say that there is nothing to do here in winter, but I don't think that is the case at all.  There are plenty of events, and there is so much to see.

Cisco Fishing at Bear Lake

Bonneville Cisco are a small fish found only in Bear Lake, and fishing for them with dip nets is done nowhere else in the world.  I left home in the dark this morning for the 45 minute drive to Cisco Beach in Utah.  It was snowing lightly, so the light was not very good for photography.

There were quite a few people there when we
arrived.  Cisco can only be caught for a couple of weeks around January when they gather around the shoreline rocks to spawn.

The lake is frozen this year so we needed to chop holes with an ax.  Years when the lake doesn't freeze, people wear boots or waders and stand in the lake with their dip nets.

In this photo, my friend Bill watches his son, Ben, catch some fish.  In back, my neighbor, Dan, brings more fish onto the ice.  The ice was thin where we cut our holes because it had shifted around, opening cracks which then refroze.  The lake ice was still roaring and cracking as it continued to move with the wind and currents..

We all caught our limits of 30 fish.  I cleaned half of them to eat, and the other half will be used for bait to catch lake trout.  Cisco don't taste as good as trout to me, but aren't bad battered and fried.

I was glad to have the chance to participate in this unique activity.

Pine Creek, Wyoming

Pine Creek, Wyoming, is one of my favorite locations for winter photography.  Linda and I went there with our neighbors, Connie and Larry Hymas, today to see what our frigid weather had created. We had a good lunch at Blondie's in Cokeville then headed for the creek.

Pine Creek is in a deep canyon that gets very little sun during the winter.  The sunlight in this photo was striking high on the canyon wall and reflecting in the creek.

Deep in the canyon, the light shifts toward blue, so sometimes photos are much more pleasant in black and white.  Droplets of water splash onto rocks and freeze quickly, then more droplets add to the ice until fantastic, delicate formations are created.  Some of these formations hang over the waterfalls that created them.

The moving water of the creek brushes against snow covered branches and creates ice plates that spread over the water's surface.  All of these delicate ice formations disappear very quickly when there is a day or two with temperatures above freezing.

There are a lot of small cascades along the creek, and this is the largest waterfall with a drop of about ten feet.

When a big tree falls across the creek, the tangle of snow covered limbs tells an interesting nature story.

A frosted tree and a waterfall make a nice winter scene.  Just a little wind would destroy this delicate frost.

To take these photos, I used a tripod and set the ISO to 100, which is as low as it will go on my camera. This allowed me to use slow shutter speeds to blur the moving water in the creeks and waterfalls.  It was very cold, so I kept an extra battery in an inside pocket.  High boots were needed to climb down banks and through deep snow. I have trouble using gloves with camera controls, so I had to stop to warm my hands frequently.

We had a great time with Connie and Larry, who are active members of our camera club.  I can't wait to see their photos.